Prairie House
by elmonkito397
Summary: The alternate chapter 12 to my story "In Bloom". Jace races to the house to find Clary, only to be scarred by what has happened to her in the past two months... One shot!


Small beads of sweat formed on Jace's forehead as he ran. The pavement was hard as it slammed beneath his feet, but he barely noticed it. He had his entire mind focused on one thing: getting to Clary before _they_ did. Rain started to fall from the clouded grey sky, splattering his perfect features with polluted droplets of water. The lights around him blurred as he picked up his pace. He passed cars on the highway, whizzing by before they had even registered he was next to them. Jace was normally able to run at a much greater speed than the average human being, but this was abnormally fast, even for him.

He swerved off the side of the highway and onto the empty field. There was nothing but grass and bales of hay for about a mile out, but Jace could see only the slightest flicker of light in the distance. It was a small hope, but it was enough. Pushing himself to go faster than he had ever dared try, Jace rocketed towards the approaching glow. It was definitely a house, he could tell now by the way its form blocked out the moonlight, casting eerie shadows over the plains that stretched around him. He cleared the distance between himself and the structure within seconds, bursting through the door and nearly plowing over the figure that must have been standing guard behind it.

They were sent flying across the room, only to smash into the window, hurtling out of the house and into the darkness beyond. Jace skidded to a stop, inches away from smacking into the brick wall of the tiny kitchen. He sniffed the air, detecting the scent of burnt rubber that probably came from his shoes. Nike sneakers just weren't meant for running on solid asphalt at two hundred miles per hour.

There was a gasp behind the counter, as whoever had been standing there realized what had happened. Jace spun around, seraph blade in hand; ready to strike whoever it was dead. At first, he saw no one. There was nothing but empty space where a person should have been standing. But as his eyes lowered to the ground, he dropped his weapon, recoiling in shock.

There was a girl lying on the ground, staring up at him with green eyes wide in fear. She was chained to the wall, and there were scars up and down her wrists where she had clearly tried to escape. She was in a pool of blood, presumably her own, that almost matched the fiery red colour of her hair. But worst of all was her body. She was lying naked, with purple splotches forming bruises over her pale skin. Her clothes were strewn in tatters around her where someone had carelessly thrown them, someone who clearly had no intention of her ever putting them back on. "Clary…" he whispered. "Who…who…"

He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Clary looked down at the ground, a look of shame clouding her beautiful features. She pulled her legs inward, crunching her body into a ball as if trying to hide herself inside her own skin. Sighing, Jace bent over and pulled out his stele. He carved a simple unlocking rune onto the cuffs, and her wrists fell free. As soon as she had been released, Clary scuttled backwards towards the wall, putting as much distance between herself and Jace as possible. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered. "I didn't mean for him to touch me. But…but…he wouldn't let me get away…I tried Jace, I did…I just…I'm so sorry." She was in nearly hysterical tears, doubled over on the ground, hugging her knees like they were the only things she had left in the world.

Pain shot through Jace's body, followed by anger and hatred. He felt horrible for Clary having to have gone through whatever this guy had done to her, but he felt an even stronger rage for the bastard who had tried to take advantage of the girl he loved…

Jace brushed away the dark feelings, focusing on helping Clary first. He would rip the douchebag to pieces when he came back; right now there were more important things to tend to. Removing his jacket, he knelt in front of Clary and inched toward her. "Clary it's not your fault. Some twisted pervert is the one to blame here, not you. Come here, you can cover yourself in my coat."

She hesitated, a flash of something- was it fear? – shimmered behind her eyes. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, and there was only Jace's reflection shining off of her glassy pupils. Nodding, she crawled forward, snatching up the coat and wrapping herself in it. Then she retreated back into her little corner, leaving Jace hurt and confused. "Why are you hiding from me?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. She shivered, all thought not from the cold, and looked up at him. "I thought you would be mad at me."

Jace nearly laughed; the idea was so incredulously false that it amused him to think she would even consider it. Clary just continued to stare over at him, happiness void from her emerald irises. He reached out a hand to pull her close to him. As his fingers touched her torso, she whimpered and pulled back. "Ouch." she said through clenched teeth. He must have touched one of her bruises. Suddenly, Jace was curious as to exactly what _had_ been going on before he came in. "Can I hold you?" he asked. Tentatively, Clary looked him over, before eventually deciding that he was safe and crawling up into his outstretched arms.

He drew her in towards him, one arm around her waist and the other supporting her head and neck. She rested her own hand over her stomach, protectively guarding the bump that had formed under her skin. It was bigger now than it had been last time he'd seen her; now she was without a doubt visibly pregnant. In all her sadness, he couldn't see the glow that she was supposed to have, but he assumed that once she was well again that it would return to light up her already angelic features.

"What did he do to you? Did he…?" Jace trailed off, stopping himself before he could get all riled up. Whatever this sick creep had done to her, it had left both physical and mental damage. He was almost reluctant to listen when she exhaled a breath and began to speak. "Oh god, Jace. He hurt me so bad. Threw me against the wall, kicked me to the ground…I was afraid he would hurt the baby. I was so weak from whatever he had drugged me with…that's what he did you know. Put something in my food, I think. I couldn't stop him. Before I knew it he was…oh my god. I only wanted to be with you, Jace. I wanted you to be the only one I was ever truly part of. He took that from me. I feel so, so, filthy."

Jace felt his face turn red with anger. This creature that called himself a man had defiled Clary. He had taken away her innocence, and then… "He _raped_ you?" She exploded into tears. "I'm so sorry Jace. I really am. I understand if you want to leave me. I mean, you are going to right? I'm a whore-"

He cut her off with a kiss. He pressed his lips to hers, tasting the bitter tastes that lingered on her mouth. There was the sour tinge of alcohol, and Jace immediately thought of the baby. What was going to happen to it? Was it hurt, or permanently damaged? What if it was…._No. _He refused to think that. His baby was alive and well inside Clary. He pulled back, boring his molten gold eyes into hers. "You are perfect, Clary. No matter what anyone does or says to you, you will always be amazing. Okay?" But there was no response. Clary had gone silent, and was staring at the hole in the window where Jace had flung the figure.

A tall silhouette of a man loomed over them, his long, dark hair swooping down over his shoulders. Jace couldn't make out the face of the shadow, but could tell precisely who it was from the way they stood; so confident that it was almost annoying. Jace recognized it as one of his own stances, something he had learned from many, many years of watching his adopted father saunter around the house with pride. It was a stature that only a Morgenstern could possess.

The figure stepped into the light, and Clary shrieked, shrinking back into Jace's chest. He tightened his grip on her body, holding her near. The man chuckled, an evil hate-filled sound, which was not in the slightest bit amused. Jace snarled. "If you come any closer, I swear I will-"

"Oh, Jace. Always one to make promises we can't keep, aren't we?" Sebastian mused, un-sheathing the silver dagger from his belt, and pointing it directly at Clary's heart.


End file.
